Out of Tune. A Grind Between Anthropology and Anti-Reggaeton Discourse.

Abstract

In this article I explore the sociocultural foundations of anti-reggaeton discourse via an autoethnographic approach: starting from my experience in diverse musical circles —the majority of which align closely with said discourse— I analyze how pejorative assessments of reggaeton exceed aesthetic-formal criteria to operate as markers of social distinction. Far from constituting a purely musical judgment, its stigmatization activates a symbolic framework that associates it with the vulgar and mediocre, perpetuating a hierarchical logic whose lowest rungs were also once occupied by genres fully legitimized today—blues, jazz, flamenco, etc.—. We can speak of anti-reggaeton discourse as a common sense according to which the moral and intellectual degradation of reggaeton and its listeners is taken for granted, placing whoever upholds this discourse on the right side of history. Spoiler: I don't know if it's the right side, but it is undoubtedly the boring side.